Register for fabric-measuring machines



D. TURNER.

REGISTER FOR FABRIC MEASURING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22. |919.

Patented Sept. ,26, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

D. TURNER.

REmsTER FOR mmc MEAsumNe MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22. |919.

1,429,983, Pandsept. 26,1922.v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l fz :0 50

n. TURNER. REGISTER FOR FABRIC NIESURING MACHINES.'

APPLICATION FILED ^UG.22, 1919. 1,429,983, Patentedsept. 26,1922.

3 SHEETS-SIIEET 3.

Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

UNTTED` STATES PATENT ormoni',

DOUGLAS "TURNER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, .'lO

THE MEASUREGRAPH COMPANY,

A. CORPORATION OIF DELAWARE.

REGISTER FOR FABRIG-MEASURING- MACHINES.

l Application led August 22, 1919. Serial No. 319,058.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I,\.DoUGLAs TURNER, aV citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certa-in new and useful Improvements in Registers for Fabric-Measuring Machines, of which the following is a specification.' g' l My invention relates to improvements in fabric measuring machines, and more particularly -to the length indicating means or register used therein.

One well-known type of machine now in use comprises a pair of rolls, betweenwhich the fabric to be measured is dra A train. of gears connects one of said rolls with the register or counter, whereby the lat-ter indif cates to the operator how ymuch cloth has been passed through the machine. In a copending application, Serial Number 289,7 55, I have disclosed as ajoint applicant such amachine having a clutch with means for disconnecting saidtrain of gearing from the counter when said counter'is reset to zerov position. l

It .is an object of the present invention to provide, in a machine of this same character, improved means for operating the clutch and the resetting mechanism, the improved structure being not only more vcompact, but the action being more direct.

Another object is to provide a construc-v tion which permits of more rapid assembly than the prior "structure, this advantage be-` ing attained in part by the -use of slotted arms and links allowing these members to be slipped over their supporting studs or shafts instead of running the shafts through openings in said members. A

Other objects and advantages willbe ap'- parent from the further `description of the preferred embodiment of the invention illus trated' herein. A

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan' view ofthe entire machine;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fi ure'12;

igure 4 vis an end view of the register;

. Figure 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fi ure 12;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Fi ure 12;

. gure 7 is an elevation of a detail;

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Fi ure 12; i

igure 9 is a correspondingsection of'a modified construction Figure 10 is a development of either the vunits or tens wheel of the register;

Figure 11 is a development of the frac! tions/Wheel of said register; and

F1gure'12 is a section on the`line 12-12 of Figure 4.

The machine comprises a suitable casing 1, having a horizontal gap or opening 2 therein to permit theA insertion of the goods to be measured. Said casing encloses a base 3` which carries a vertical frame plate ,4. A measuring roll 5 and a pressure roll 6 are arranged within the casing, said measuring roll 5 being vmounted on a shaft 7 passing through sald vertical plate 4 and provfided y,

with a suitable bearing therein. yThe pres sure roll 6 is also supported by thevertical plate 4 -by means not shown herein, and is arranged to be raised to permit the insertion of the goods between tand the .measuring roll, and also to be lowered to hold Isaid i goods against said measuring roll with a yielding pressure. The operator draws the goods between the rolls, the rotary movement thereof being transmitted bythe shaft 7 to the bevel gear 8 mounted thereon, thence to the bevel gear 9 and the gea-r 10 which turns therewith, and thence through caring A 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 to counters or in icating Wheels 16, 17, 18, which are visible through openings 'in the top of the casing.

In beginning the operation, lafter the operator1 has inserted the goods between the rolls', 6, the starting button 19 is-pressed, causing the rolls to come together, after which the ods is drawn through ,the machine, there y rotating the counter wheels to indicate the yardage being measured. When Ythe proper amount is passed through the machine, the operator presses the notchin butl ton 20, thereby making a cut in, thee geof the. goods, and simultaneously separating the pressure roll from the measuring roll,.

thereby permitting the goods to be removed from the machine. In order to reset the wheels tov zero, the operator thereafter Apresses a resetting button 2.1, after which the machine may be used again.

`The mechanism whereby the numeral .v

wheels are driven from the gear 15 and the v,

3o a e- 4 neva wheel 31, providing the wel? known 'shaft is permitted a 'slight endwise ing movement in its supporting plates 27,

resetting mechanism therefor will now4 be describedv Said gear 15 is mounted on the relatively movable member 22, of a clutch,'the other member 23 thereof carrying the numeral wheel 16 of lowest denO/mination, i. e., thevone indicating fractions/ of a yard. The clutch member 22 is mounted on a sleeve 24, the other memberV 23 of the clutch being confined between said sleeve and `a second sleeve 25, both sleeves surrounding the shaft 26. Said shaft is supported at opposite ends in a pair of frame plates 27, 28, being non-rotatably mounted therein by reason of a flat face on the portion which projects thro h a non-circular` opening in the plate 27. aid shaft-carries means for engaging the movable clutch member,lin the form of a pin 29 received within slots in the innerpend of sleeve 24, thereby preventing rotation of said sleeve. Said or shift- 28, by means hereinafter described, whereupon the pin 29 is moved to the right (Fig-.-

ure. 12) thereby moving the relatively movable clutch member 22 out of engagement with clutch member 23 and ldisconnecting the gear 15 from the numeral wheel 16.

` The clutch member 23 carries a sin le toothed carrying gear 30 engagin mechanism. A

Geneva transfer or carryingr eneva wheel 31 gear 32 turns with the and is in mesh with a further gear 33' mounted on the sleeve 34, the units numeral wheel 17 being mounted on said sleeve. As

. a result of this arrangement, each complete rotation of the fractions wheel 16 results in a partial rotation of the'units wheel 17. In like manner a similar transfer mechanism causes intermittent rotation of the tens counter 18, also mounted on a similar sleeve 34, both sleeves 34 turning freely on the sleeve 25. The Geneva wheels 31 and the gears 32 are carried on a shaft 35, the latter being supported at opposite ends in arms 36 mounted on the Ishaft 37, whereby saidgears 32 may be swung out of engagement with their cooperating gears as hereinafter described".

In order to restore the numeral' wheels to initial positionNa` plurality of heart-shaped cams 38 are provided, the clutch member 23 having twosuch cams thereon slightly displaced from each other as shown in ig. 8. This pair of cams cooperate with a pair of resettin -levers 39 mounted on the shaft 40. Each o the unit wheels has its corresponding heart-shaped' cam 38 rigid with it. When shaft 40 is rocked by means hereinafter described, thel pointed ends of the resetting levers 39 engage the heart-shaped cams and thereby restore the numeral wheels and otherV parts associated therewith to initial position. The use of two heartshapedy cams and two resetting levers prevents the locking ofthe parts .on dead center, as one or the other of said levers will impart the initial turningmovement to its corresponding cam. In the machine shown in the drawings, this double cam arrange- Vment is "provided only. in connection with the numeral wheel of lowest denomination, y

i. e., the fractions wheel, the units and .tens

is shown, in which the two cams 38a are of slightlyH different sizes, the purpose being the same, to prevent locking on a dead center.-V These features are explained morev fully in the co-pending application previously referred to. V

In order to actuate the cams, a handactuated member, ,or operatin lever is mounted on the shaft 40, said ever being preferably in the form of a bell crank lever 41, one arm being bent, and projecting inwardly through a slot 42 in the plate 28, the resetting button 21 being secured to said bent arm and operating in arecess in the' (See Figs. 1 and 2). This handcasing. actuated member effects the return of the counterwheelsto zero. When the operator presses said resetting button, the leversl 39 are brought into contact with the heartshaped cams. This is accomplished by means of the bell crank 41 and operating link 52 which latter rocks the arms 36,

thereby causing the levers 39,. through the medium of the springs 46, to engage said cams. Slotted links 43 connect said levers 39 and pivoted arms 36, said links being interposed between suitable studs 44, 45, carried`by said levers and arms respectively. The links 43 are merely spacing elements adapted to maintain the said levers and arms in proper relation. They springs 46 are also secured to the studs 44, 45, and to pins 47 on the arms 36. With this organization, vthe movement of the resetting button` swings the arms 36 away from the numeral wheels,thereby carrying the gears 31, `3.2, away from the cooperating gears which turn about the supporting shaft 26. When these parts are thus engaged, the numeral wheels are reset to zero position without interference from the carrying mechanism.v f

Shaft 40 also carries a plurality of slotted arms 48, the slots whereof ermit said arms to be slipped over said sha t quickly, thereby vfacilitating the separation or assembly of the parts of the register.V The lower end of `each arm is connected with a springx49 secured also to thearms 36, thereby olding the roller 50 at the upper end thereof in yielding engagement with the teeth of the gear 32. -This roller holds said gear against rotation'during the timeit is out of engagementv with its corresponding gear 33. -It- 'parted to the gear 32 and roller 50. This slight movement insures the proper remeshing of the gears 32, 33, and of the Geneva stop mechanism, the rollers 50 being yieldingly pressed between the teeth of the gear 32.

After the operator depresses the vresettin button 21, the latter is restored to initia position by a spring 51 secured tothe end 'plate and hooked into an opening in a link 52 which is slotted at one end to fit over av pin 53 on the bell crank lever 41, and apertured atits other end for engagement with an extension 54 of the bar 47, which moves in the slot 42. Said. bell crank lever has its upperarm provided with a beveled edge 55 which engages the correspondingly beveled projectingend of the 'main shaft 26, (Figs.

' 4 and 12), thereby shifting or moving said shaft slightly to the right as seen in Fig. 12 against the action of the coiled` spring 51 and dingaging the friction clutch memi bers 22, 23, which are normally held in engagement by said spring. This. disengagement is effected by the pin 29 carried by the shaft 26, the non-rotatable sleeve 24 holding the clutch member 23 and serving to prevent it from following the clutch member 22 as the latte'r is moved to the right. .The sleeve 25 takes the end thrust of the clutchwhen the partsjare in engagement.

With the organization described, it will be seen that the fractions numeral wheel' is disconnected' from the measuring roll gear train during the time said numeral wheel and the other numeral wheels are reset, to zero position. Accordingly. there is no unnecessary friction such as would be occaa clutch for driving the wheel ofllowest' sioned were the measuring roll driving connection to be maintained. The register as a whole is also compact, due to the use of the main shaft as part of the clutch operating means, and the parts may be readily assembled by virtue of the slotted construction of certain of the arms and links previously described.

The invention is not limited to the em! bodiment thereof described herein, but may be embodied in numerous 'other forms.

I claim 1. In' a machine of the kind described, the combination of a shaft, ajplurality of counter wheels loosely mounted on said shaft,

denomination, carrying mechanism `normally connecting the counter wheels for driving those of higher denomination from the wheels of lower denomination, said shaft constructed to open the clutch by a longitudinal shifting movement of the shaft, a hand-actuated member, means actuated thereby for shifting the shaft longitudinally i to open the clutch, means also actuated by the hand-actuated member for disconnecting `the carrying mechanism from the counter wheels, and means also actuated by the hand-actuated member for effecting the return of the -counter wheels to zero.

2. In' a device of the vclass described, a pair of supporting members, a shaft longitudinally movable therein, a plurality of numeral wheels-surrounding said shaft, a

clutch for driving the wheely of lowest denomination, and constructed to 'open by the longitudinal shifting of the shaft, carrying means from the lowest denomination wheel to the wheels of higher denomination, a hand-actuated member `having means for shifting the -shaft longitudinally to open the clutch, and means also actuated by the handactuated member for restoring said numeral wheels to z ero position duri-ng such period.

' 3. In a device of the class described, a pair of supporting plates, a shaft non-rotatably and slidably mounted therein, a clu-tch carried by said shaft, driving means connected to one member of said clutch, a numeral wheel connected to the other member of said clutch', a heart-shaped cam associatedl `ment, means on said shaft cooperating with one of said sleeves for4 preventing therotation thereof, a clutch member surrounding said shaft and positioned between said sleeves, a cooperating clutch member rotatably mounted on said non-rotatable sleeve, means holding said clutch members in yielding engagement, a numeral wheel arranged to turn with said first-named clutch member, a@

numeral wheel rotatably mounted on the other of said sleeves, carrying mechanism connecting said ynumeral wheels, andmeans formoving-said shaft longitudinally to disengage said clutch members for removing said carrying mechanismfrom cooperative engagement with said numeral wheels and for restoring said numeral wheels to zero position.' i ,Y

5. In a device of the class described, a pair of supporting plates, a shaft non-rotatably supported in openings therein, two sleeves` surrounding said shaft, one of which is slotted, a pin projecting from saidshaft into one of said slots, a clutch member mounted on said slotted sleeve, and arranged to be engaged by said pin when said shaft is moved longitudinally, a vcooperating clutch member positioned between said sleeves' and held -thereby against movement along said shaft, `a gear turning with one of said clutch members, a numeral wheel turning with the other of said clutch members, and means for moving said shaft. longitudinally to disengage said clutch members. J

6. In a Adevice of the class described, the 4combination of a support, a shaft longitudinally movable therein, a pair of sleeves on said shaft, a plurality of counter wheels loosely mounted thereon, a clutch having a lrelativel fixed clutch-member mounted on the shaft7 between said sleeves and a relatively movable clutcli member rotatable on one of said sleeves, means on said shaft for engaging the movable 4clutch member to move the same to open the clutch, a spring holding said members in yielding engagementone of said sleeves abutting against the relatively fixed clutch ymember, and serving to resist the thrust of said spring, and the .other of said sleeves engaging the fixed clutch member and holding the same when said shaft is moved to open the clutch. K

7. In a device of the class described, a pair of supporting plates, a rod carried thereby, a shaft longitudinally movable in said plates, a bell crank lever mounted on said rod and having one arm constructed to Acooperate with an end of said shaft to shift my name. i

, restored to zero.

8. In a device of the class described, a supporting shaft, a plurality of numeral wheels surrounding said shaft, a resetting rod and a resetting lever thereon, resetting arms on said rod, carrying mechanism for said numeral wheels, supporting arms therefor pivotally mounted independently of said resetting rod, a spring connectingsaid resetting arms and said supporting arms, and additional slotted armsfitted over said rod 'and yieldinglyy bearing against part of said carrying mechanism. I i

9; Inaidevice of the class described, two pairs of arms independently mounted, removable slotted links connecting opposite arms of a pair, carrying mechanism carried by one pair of arms, resetting mechanism engaged by the other pair of arms, and a third series of slotted arms engaging said *carrying mechanism and yieldingly secured to the arms of one of said pairs.

In testimony whereof,lI have subscribed DOUGLAS TURNER. 

